NON STOP POP AT ARENAMK WITH UNION J, BAILEY MCCONNELL & STEREOKICKS

Cheers emanating from the area of stadium:mk this weekend won't have owt to do with the MK Dons hitting the back of the net for a change.

Instead, Saturday's (April 11) excitement - at ArenaMK - will be caused by four fellas who go under the collective banner of Union J, topping the bill at the Non Stop Pop fest.

The super-successful collective might have been given a leg-up thanks to the X-Factor, but since making it into the finals in 2012, the band has flourished.

In December the lads - Josh, George, JJ and Jaymi - issued album number two, You Got It All which was something of a progression.

"Our songs on this record feel organic and real," explained George.

"They're the sort of songs you can still sing even when they're completely stripped back.

"We want to have strong vocals, big choruses and intense drum beats.  We love the Beach Boys Californian style and feel that works for us," JJ explained.

"We don't want people to think of us as a guilty pleasure anymore," laughed Josh.

StereoKicks 400

The band has already had its own range of dolls hit shop shelves, and if the excitement surrounding the signing sessions the boys held for those is replicated on Saturday, it'll be quite the event - streets were closed down and Union J required a police escort!

Mind you, Saturday's support artist is scorchio himself, and he's an MK lad through and through.

Bailey McConnell plays for the home crowd before heading stateside and wowing the U.S on his debut tour...we'll have more about that imminently.

For the moment though, let's concentrate on the arena:mk date.

"I'm so happy to be doing a gig in my home town for a change," Bailey told Total MK.

"It seems like I haven't done anything here in Milton Keynes for a long time.

"The arena is such an amazing venue...the show is going to be insane."

Stereo Kicks (above) and Harry Mondryk complete the billing and tickets are on sale at £14.

Doors open at 5.30pm and the sounds will be all done at 9.45pm.

Visit www.arenamk.com for more.